Refrigerator appliances generally include one or more cabinets defining chambers for the receipt of food items for storage. Refrigerator appliances may also include features for dispensing ice and/or water. To provide ice and/or water, a dispenser is typically positioned on a door of the appliance. The user positions a container proximate the dispenser and ice, water, or both are deposited into the container depending upon the user's selection. A paddle or other type switch can be provided whereby the user can make a selection. Typically, the water is chilled by routing through one of the refrigerated chambers.
Some dispensers may be configured to automatically fill the container with liquid or ice using a sensor arrangement configured to detect the height and/or presence of a container positioned proximate the dispenser. For instance, conventional dispenser systems may implement a horizontal sensor to detect a position of the container, and a vertical sensor to detect a top lip of the container and/or a liquid level within the container. As another example, some conventional dispenser systems may implement only a vertical sensor to detect a presence of the container, as well as the top lip and/or liquid level.
Conventional systems typically use software techniques to control the timing and/or operation of the dispenser. Such conventional techniques can be difficult to implement due at least in part timing inconsistencies caused by latency associated with the software techniques. Such timing inconsistencies can cause decreased detection accuracy. In addition, such techniques can require expensive processors due at least in part to the significant amount processor resources required. Thus, there is a need for a dispensing system that provides improved performance while requiring fewer processor resources.